Jean-Baptiste Ruechamps
Traveling through a post-apocalyptic wasteland changes people, but there are some people who just don't care enough for the death and misery to change them. If there is a living example of the latter, it might just be Jean-Baptiste Ruechamps. Once a crime boss in New Orleans, he is now a crime boss in Nashville. His mind has been ravaged by years of dementia and paranoia, but no one dares to question his leadership or the fairness of his Sluggers. History Jean-Baptiste was born to a French-speaking family living in New Orleans. A chaotic childhood and a violent adolescence made him wind up as a gangster for one of the many crime lords in the city. After years of eliminating his competition and several successful raids on rival gangs' weapons caches he became the new kingpin and his gang later became known as the 'sluggers of New Orleans' for their ruthlessness and excessive use of violence, instead of the shrewd diplomacy and stealthy assassinations that most of the other crime bosses preferred to use. When a certain ghoul and his outfit of mercenaries issued a period of open warfare onto the city, what came to be known as the rising of the Royaume in 2242, JB rallied those loyal to him to use the distraction to raid an explosives warehouse. After blowing up a number of targets to kill some of the Royaume's followers, he and his men fled the city to seek better places further north. They followed the Mississippi River, which lead them to the city of Baton Rouge. But Jean-Baptiste was certain the Royaume would soon spread and take over the city, so they moved on. Eventually, they arrived in Boss Town, where JB encountered many of his old friends but also many of his former enemies. Old grudges came back to the surface, and some of his men decided to stay to enjoy the bars and brothels of Boss Town. Unwilling to start a war he could never win, he took what was left of his crew and continued his journey. After they had crossed the Tennessee border, they encountered the city of New Memphis but found it too hard to settle between the monsters of the swamps and the organized militia, so they were once again forced to flee, now to the east. Further, east, their journey led them through Riddler's Park, where they had an uncomfortable run-in with the Jewish ghouls, since the Sluggers detested them and because the ghouls had mutual feelings of hatred towards the armed smooth skins marching through their territory. Without any bloodshed, they moved on towards Jackson, where they stayed some time to stock up on supplies and check out some of the marvelous trains that transported goods and persons at unimaginable speeds. Some of Jean-Baptiste's crew tried to hijack a train, though, and they were kicked out of the town with the warning to never come back. When their morale was reaching its lowest point possible, they saw the ruins of Nashville in the distance, and the majestic husk of the Pinnacle that looked like it was watching over the city, like a guardian of sorts, and Jean-Baptiste realized that this had to be the place fate had guided him and his men too. But when they entered the derelict skyscraper, they saw it was actually the home of hundreds of mutants, a horrifying and twisted version of the building's true potential. The Sluggers, terrified by the sight of all those monsters, opened fire before they retreated to the northern side of the edifice which seemed to be uninhabited for some reason. They used the leftover explosives to cave in the hallways, disconnecting them from the mutants' lair. After a while, a Super Mutant named Grutt visited them to negotiate, but Jean-Baptiste had him thrown out with the message that he had placed IEDs on all of the major structural components of the Pinnacle, and that he would blow them up if Grutt and his Mutant Pact tried to attack them or threaten them in any way. Now, in 2281, Jean-Baptiste lives quite a luxurious life. He is protected by a crew of armed soldiers, has the entire northern section of a skyscraper to live in, and he even has a small art gallery filled with paintings and statues scavenged from museums all over Nashville. As the 'Vicomte' of what was once called 'The Protestant Vatican', he considers himself a king, maybe even a deity. Appearance Jean-Baptiste is a man in his senior years. His face is filled with wrinkles, and his dark brown eyes are always moving, always watching everyone he suspects of being a traitor. He has a steel-grey beard but is besides that completely bald. He has a slight tick that causes his left hand to twitch uncontrollably at sometimes, something that can be pretty scary for those who haven't been informed in advance. Equipment JB prefers to look sharp in his antique black suit with matching hat. He doesn't carry much in the way of weaponry, but he always keeps his hunting rifle close by to make sure everyone can see he is armed. He also has an obsession for rings, and he likes to wear lots of them to show how wealthy and powerful he is, even if that may not be the truth. Abilities and Skills The Vicomte relies on his soldiers for protection, and his old age and poor sight make him a lousy marksman. He learned how to use explosives in his time in New Orleans, and he still knows a thing or two about them, but he prefers to keep this knowledge to himself. He did share his knowledge on how to create improvised guns, like bakakuks and how to maintain the few pristine weapons the Sluggers still have in their possession. Jean-Baptiste also appreciates paintings and statues. He's even started to paint his own pieces and is trying to make his own copy of a copy of a originally made by the famous . He has also shown a willingness to pay and shelter those artistic enough to impress him. Quotes About From Category:Characters